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Alle 46 leden van de Raad van Europa tekenen overeenkomst die wordt ‘betreurd’ door mensenrechtenorganisaties

Muscat zwijgt over plannen – waar de VS zich tegen verzetten – om kosten in rekening te brengen en details over de nationaliteit van alle passerende schepen te eisen Oman is terechtgekomen in een geopolitiek kruisvuur nadat Iran verklaarde te coördineren met Muscat over het toekomstige beheer van de Straat van Hormuz. Dit omvat de plannen van Teheran – die door de VS worden tegengewerkt – waarbij commerciële scheepvaart betalingen moet doen aan een nieuw Iraans overheidsorgaan. De Omaanse exclave Musandam ligt ten zuiden van de betwiste waterweg, die normaal gesproken een vijfde van het wereldwijde zeetransport van olie vervoert, maar al 10 weken geblokkeerd is sinds de Amerikaanse en Israëlische aanval op Iran in februari. Lees verder...

‘We weten dat Mark Carney Europa een beetje wil omarmen,’ zegt competitiedirecteur Martin Green. Canada is welkom om zich bij Eurovision aan te sluiten als het dat wenst, heeft de directeur gezegd, maanden nadat het land in zijn federale begroting onthulde dat het wilde "onderzoeken" om deel te nemen aan het songfestival. Eurovision-directeur Martin Green vertelde de BBC woensdag dat Canada nog geen aanvraag had ingediend, maar dat ze welkom zouden zijn. Lees verder...

Tijdens een door de staat gesponsorde mars door de moslimwijk van de Oude Stad zwaaiden demonstranten met vlaggen en scandeerden zij ‘Dood aan de Arabieren’ op de herdenking van de annexatie van de stad.

• Luchtlandingstroepen uit Japan, de Verenigde Staten en het Verenigd Koninkrijk zijn begonnen aan gezamenlijke militaire oefeningen, waarmee de trilaterale defensiesamenwerking in de Indo-Pacific regio wordt versterkt. • De oefeningen omvatten trainingen op het gebied van coördinatie en interoperabiliteit tussen eliteparachutisten van de drie geallieerde naties. • De oefeningen tonen de inzet voor regionale veiligheidspartnerschappen en afschrikking tegen potentiële regionale dreigingen.

Defensieminister zegt dat E-7A Wedgetail surveillancevliegtuig, in maart naar de Golf gestuurd, zal deelnemen aan de door het VK en Frankrijk geleide defensieve inspanning om het conflict met Iran te kalmeren.

• De uitnodiging om deel uit te maken van een groep inclusief Elon Musk en Tim Cook benadrukt de Amerikaanse AI- en tech-ambities • De miljardair en topman van chipfabrikant Nvidia, Jensen Huang, heeft zich na een vermeende last-minute uitnodiging aangesloten bij de delegatie van Donald Trump naar China, wat de AI- en tech-ambities van de VS onderstreept. • Huang zal zich voegen bij een lijst van Amerikaanse topbestuurders, waaronder Tesla-topman en X-eigenaar Elon Musk, Apple-topman Tim Cook en David Solomon van Goldman Sachs, tijdens Trump's 36-urige ontmoeting met de Chinese president Xi Jinping.

• De filmmaker, die in Hollywood lange tijd aan de kant stond vanwege #MeToo-beschuldigingen, zal locaties scouten voor Rush Hour 4, aldus een woordvoerder. • Brett Ratner, de regisseur achter de Rush Hour-films en een documentaire over Melania Trump, begeleidt Donald Trump naar China voor zijn topoverleg met Xi Jinping. • Trump zal donderdag en vrijdag gesprekken voeren met de Chinese leider over dringende economische en geopolitieke kwesties, waaronder Iran en Taiwan.

• In een zeldzame publieke verschijning waarschuwde Meta-klokkenluider Sarah Wynn-Williams voor 'netwerken van machtige elites' die rijkdom en invloed gebruiken om dissidente stemmen het zwijgen op te leggen. • Meta-klokkenluider Sarah Wynn-Williams en de overleden Virginia Giuffre hebben gezamenlijk de Freedom to Publish-prijs gewonnen bij de British Book Awards van dit jaar, wat de eerste keer is dat de prijs is gedeeld. • Wynn-Williams, een voormalig Facebook-executive, werd erkend voor 'Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism', haar bestseller-memoires over haar jaren bij Meta, voorheen Facebook.

• OPM-veteraan Ely Buendia zal optreden als gastartiest tijdens het "Sandali" concert van Cup of Joe op 23 mei in het Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan. • Het concert staat in het teken van de populaire Filipijnse band Cup of Joe en brengt gevestigde en opkomende OPM-artiesten samen voor een viering van de Filipijnse muziek. • Het evenement markeert een significante samenwerking in de Filipijnse muziekscene en laat de blijvende invloed van veteranen zien naast hedendaagse artiesten.

Vrouw gearresteerd op luchthaven van Sydney na terugkeer uit Syrië gisteravond; twee andere vrouwen worden in Melbourne aangeklaagd. Volg de updates. Meld u aan voor onze nieuwsbrief met breaking news, download onze gratis app of luister naar onze dagelijkse nieuwspodcast. Goedemorgen en welkom bij onze live nieuwsblog. Ik ben Martin Farrer met de belangrijkste verhalen van vannacht, daarna neemt Nick Visser het stokje over.

The prime minister is backing the deal as it would allow British firms to access the contracts funded by the loanGood morning. In the UK many MPs will be spending the bank holiday campaigning for the elections on Thursday, but Keir Starmer is in Armenia, where he has announced that he wants the UK to join the EU’s €90bn (£78bn) loan for Ukraine.Starmer is attending a European Political Community summit in Yerevan. The EPC is the group set up four years ago comprising all the EU countries, plus almost all the other European countries that are not EU members. Mark Carney, the Canadian PM, is also attending (on the grounds, presumably, that in the light of the geopolitical upheavel caused by Donald Trump, the Canadians now count as honorary Europeans.)In relation to the EU loan that we are discussing participating in, that is very good for Ukraine, because it will give Ukraine capability that is desperately needs in year five of this conflict.It’s very good for the UK, because of the capability that leads to jobs in the United Kingdom.The extra funding to Ukraine could unlock opportunity for British businesses to fill urgent capability needs for Ukraine as part of the initiative and give British defence industry access to major contracts.The move is a significant step towards a new ambitious relationship between the UK and EU – building on the prime minister’s calls at the Munich Security Conference in February to deepen defence and security cooperation to match the rapidly evolving threats faced by both sides. It also comes ahead of the UK – EU summit, expected to be held this summer, where both sides will discuss further economic and security cooperation. Continue reading...

Walkouts, marches and other gatherings planned for ‘May Day Strong’ demonstrations across the countryThousands are set to join an economic blackout for International Workers’ Day on Friday, as part of 3,500 “May Day Strong” events across the country. Organizers are calling for “no school, no work, no shopping” with walkouts, marches, block parties and other gatherings planned into the evening.May Day has long been an annual day of protest for the labor movement, and this year, many active movements are converging to fight for “a nation that puts workers over billionaires”. Demanding no ICE, no war, and taxing the rich, the May Day Strong coalition includes labor unions, immigrants rights groups, political organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America, and the organizers behind the No Kings protests. Friday’s economic disruption builds on a similar coordinated effort out of Minnesota in January, when tens of thousands of Twin Cities residents took off from school and work to flood the streets in protest of federal immigration agents storming the city. Continue reading...

Royal Navy chief says unified naval force will deter future Russian threats from the ‘open sea border’ to the northBritain has agreed to create a unified naval force with nine European countries to deter future Russian threats from the “open sea border” to the north, the head of the Royal Navy has announced.Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins insisted that despite the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, where the strait of Hormuz remains closed after the US-Israel war in Iran that “Russia remains the gravest threat to our security”. Continue reading...

After she had to travel out of state to access care, Rachel Fulton joined the Center for Reproductive Rights’ suit, which an appeal has now halted indefinitelyIt was the worst day of Rachel Fulton’s life. She stood outside her doctor’s office, reeling with the news that her dearly wanted pregnancy needed to end. But her day would, somehow, become even worse: Fulton lives in Tennessee, where abortion is banned except for very narrow threats to the patient’s life. She had to travel hours to another state to receive care from an unfamiliar doctor far from home.Fulton joined a lawsuit, along with five other patients, in 2023 against the state of Tennessee for violating their right to life. The American Medical Association and two doctors also joined the lawsuit because they say they have been prevented from providing the standard of care for their patients. Continue reading...

• Pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Pfizer announced a strategic research collaboration focusing on oncology and immunology, with combined commitments totaling $4.8 billion over five years to accelerate drug development and clinical trial timelines. • The partnership will leverage Eli Lilly's metabolic disease expertise and Pfizer's vaccine platform capabilities to pursue combination therapies for hard-to-treat cancers, with initial clinical trials expected to commence in mid-2027. • Industry analysts view the deal as emblematic of Big Pharma consolidating R&D resources amid rising drug development costs exceeding $2.6 billion per approved medication, while also signaling confidence in oncology market growth.

Rightwing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid announce new party before Knesset vote expected later this yearTwo of Benjamin Netanyahu’s most formidable political rivals say they are joining forces in an attempt to oust the Israeli prime minister’s coalition government in the election expected later this year.The former prime ministers – rightwing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid – issued statements announcing the merger of their parties, Bennett 2026 and Yesh Atid (There is a Future). Continue reading...

• Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have launched joint military exercises involving 8,000 NATO troops in response to Russian force mobilization along the eastern border, marking the largest Baltic-focused NATO drill this year. • Russian military intelligence reports indicate approximately 35,000 Russian troops have gathered near the Belarus-Poland border; NATO commanders assess this as a potential preparation for military action. • Pentagon officials have authorized increased US military presence in the region, with 2,500 additional American troops authorized for rapid deployment if tensions escalate further.

Philip Rycroft says promises on issues from economics to immigration have not lived up to expectationsBritain should start talking about rejoining the EU, according to a former senior civil servant who ran the Brexit department.Philip Rycroft, who was permanent secretary of the Department for Exiting the EU, said the “argument was there to be won” about going back into Europe, adding that a “clear-headed appraisal of what is in the country’s best interests” was needed. However, he said rejoining the bloc could be a “long and windy” road. Continue reading...

Paramount Skydance CEO fetes administration as it weighs $110bn merger with CNN parent WarnerBros DiscoveryDozens of protesters, including members of Congress, gathered along the National Mall on Thursday to protest an “intimate” dinner being held by Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison “in celebration of the First Amendment” and “honoring the Trump White House and CBS White House Correspondents”, and attended by Donald Trump.Paramount has faced criticism for the dinner, which has been seen by some as illustrative of the cozy relationship between the Ellisons and the White House – right as the Trump administration is weighing whether to approve the company’s $110bn merger with CNN parent company WarnerBros Discovery. The dinner comes before Saturday’s White House correspondents’ dinner, which Trump will attend. His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is expected to sit at one of the many tables bought by CBS News for the event. Continue reading...

• Kenneth Walker III has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent, joining Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champions. • The running back addition strengthens Kansas City's offensive backfield ahead of the 2026 NFL season. • The move reflects the Chiefs' continued roster building to maintain their competitive edge in the AFC.

Exclusive: Formby, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn who quit role in 2020, says Labour is now ‘in hock to corporate sponsors’A former Labour general secretary has defected to the Green party, in the latest sign that allies of Jeremy Corbyn are moving in large numbers to Zack Polanski’s party.Jennie Formby, who managed the Labour party from 2018 to 2020, told the Guardian she had signed up as a Green party member and intended to campaign for it before May’s local elections. Continue reading...

Day of action to support workers set for 1 May – who is organizing May Day Strong, and how can people join?Anyone who attended one of the 3,000 No Kings protests in March might have learned of the latest effort to protest against Trump administration policies: May Day Strong.The single-day protest on 1 May is taking its cue from the massive day of action that shut down Minneapolis in January by asking Americans not to shop, work or go to school. Rallies, marches and teach-ins will also take place across the country. Continue reading...

Campaigners say banks and web platforms are being told to collect data on customers visiting blocked sitesMajor Russian companies have been conscripted into a “witch-hunt” against users trying to circumvent online controls, researchers have said, as the Kremlin continues trying to cut its citizens off from the global internet.Banks and web platforms are collecting data on users of virtual private networks (VPN) tools, which obscure an individual’s real location and allow them to access sites blocked in Russia, according to an investigation by RKS global, an advocacy group for internet freedoms. Continue reading...

The former ballet dancer said Chalamet’s comments were ‘reckless’ in an interview with the New York Times in which she also discussed her violent childhoodActor and former ballet dancer Charlize Theron has joined the chorus of disapproval aimed at Timothée Chalamet over his remarks that appeared to disrespect performers of ballet and opera.In an interview with the New York Times, Theron said: “Oh, boy, I hope I run into him one day,” adding: “That was a very reckless comment on two art forms that we need to lift up constantly because, yes, they do have a hard time. But in 10 years, AI is going to be able to do Timothée’s job, but it will not be able to replace a person on a stage dancing live.” Continue reading...

• British and French intelligence agencies announced a coordinated investigation Friday into suspected Russian interference in upcoming European elections, citing evidence of coordinated disinformation campaigns targeting NATO members. • Intelligence officials briefed parliament and the European Commission on Russian operatives' attempts to manipulate social media narratives, exploit internal political divisions, and sow discord regarding Ukraine support policies. • The investigation focuses on a Russian intelligence network allegedly operating from St. Petersburg that has infiltrated European political parties, media outlets, and online forums with false narratives about NATO expansion and Ukraine aid.

• North Korea fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on April 17, just hours before the U.S. and South Korea began combined military exercises involving 40,000 troops, according to Japanese and South Korean defense officials. • The missiles traveled approximately 600 kilometers, prompting South Korean and Japanese military responses; U.S. Indo-Pacific Command condemned the test as destabilizing and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. • Experts note the missile design appears improved from previous tests, suggesting continued technological advancement despite international sanctions and diplomatic isolation.

But Labour’s ‘halfway house’ approach risks losing support from progressives and ‘red wall’ voters, experts sayUK politics live – latest updatesSupport for rejoining the EU rather than simply rejoining the single market is growing among British voters, with more than 80% of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green party supporters favouring this option, research mapping voter attitudes 10 years after the Brexit referendum shows.But Labour’s “muted” approach means it now risks losing support among progressive voters and in “red wall” constituencies, experts have said as part of a research by Best for Britain. Continue reading...